A Galaxy of Fire
by JoshTheWriter
Summary: Humanity navigates through a century of fire, all while greater threats lurk on the very edges of the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

_This work is a collaboration between myself, u/explodoboy, and u/unbrokenmonarch_

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Query: Alpha Centauri

83,075,427 results found

Accessing database…

…

…

Opening logs…

**03.29.2309**

**NETCOM reports significant enemy presence in Arcturus. Bastion "Stalingrad" reports loss of system control. Task Force Hades status unknown. Enemy likely to push into UNSA core territory.**

**All stations stand at battle-ready.**

**Task Force Falcon report to colony Elysium.**

**Task Force Warthog report to colony Arcadia.**

**Earth Defense Fleet report to Mars shipyards for retrofit.**

**Good luck and godspeed. NETCOM out.**

**04.16.2309**

**NETCOM reports significant enemy presence in Alpha Centauri system. Initial intelligence suggests multiple fleets emerging from Arcturus hyperlane. Numbers unknown. **

**Task Force Falcon prepare for immediate engagement with enemy. **

**Task Force Warthog report to colony Elysium to provide emergency assistance. ETA 05.04.2309**

**NETCOM reports Vitrian Warfleet "Vokt" en route to Sol. ETA 08.12.2309**

**NETCOM reports Federation Fleet "Unity" en route to Elysium. ETA 04.29.2309**

**Good luck and godspeed. NETCOM out.**

End logs…

Accessing archived reports.

…

…

Opening log…

**Personal log, Strike Wing Commander Jeremiah Wright**

We were ready for them. At least, as ready as we could have been. We had the hyperlane from Arcturus covered every way to sundown. No way in hell that anything was getting through that killzone unscathed.

Of course, the geckos didn't really care about how many of their ships it would cost to establish themselves in the system. They bred so fast that they'd have replaced their casualties within the month and the little 'vettes that they led with were little more than an airtight box with guns and engines bolted on. All they cared about was spilling as much xeno blood as possible.

They breached the hyperlane right at the end of my patrol. I saw the warp point bulge and open up like a goddamn flower. At least two hundred of their 'vettes popped through, already flaring their engines to close with TF Falcon. I spotted more ships exiting the hyperlane, but lost them behind the corvette swarm that was massing just outside seeker range.

My comms lit up, all these little outbursts that did nothing except clog up your headspace and fuck with your decision making. I blocked them out, waiting for my orders like a good soldier.

Then the NET went silent, and Admiral Dietrich's callsign flashed on my HUD. I just sat there as I waited for our orders, watching an endless wall of vessels pour out of that hyperlane in complete fucking silence. That was some eerie shit that I'll never forget.

Then Admiral Dietrich's voice crackled to life over the NET. I'd never heard the cold, demanding tone in his voice before, so I damn near crapped my flight suit. He'd been a part of Earth's admiralty since the early 2200's, dating all the way back to before the hive wars. If the geckos had him spooked, I should have been neck deep in the brown stuff.

_"Our enemy has chosen to come to Elysium. Let us show them that was a poor choice."_

He paused for a moment, the entire damn fleet hanging on his words.

_"You have your orders. Fight hard. Fight smart. Fight brave. Most of all? Make them pay for every fucking inch."_

End log.

Accessing flight recorder, Battlecruiser _UNSA Valiant..._

"Status report!"

"Shields down, armour buckling on decks four through seven, twelve through twenty. Significant hull damage in all port sectors. Weapons are non-responsive and engines have barely one good thrust left in them… We're dead in the water, Admiral."

"Keep the battle onscreen. Are comms still up?"

"Yes, admiral."

"Get me the _Defiant_ before we lose comms."

"Yes, admiral."

…

…

…

"_Defiant_ responding to emergency hail. The _Valiant_ isn't looking so good, admiral. What are your orders?"

"Fall back to Elysium. We'll do no good spending all our ships trying to hold them here."

"Admiral Dietri-"

"That is enough. I'm enacting command protocol _Eternal Retribution_. We're gonna take as many of them with us as we can."

…

"Acknowledged. Give them hell, Admiral."

"That's the plan, Captain. It's been an-"

"**PRIORITY TARGET IDENTIFIED"**

"Onscreen."

"Mother of God… Admiral, are you getting this? It's massive… It's turning on us.. Oh Go-"

"The _Defiant _is gone, sir. That thing tore her in half with it's first barrage."

"Enact command protocol _Eternal Retribution_. Let's give that big ugly bitch a nasty scar to remember us by."

"Yes, Admiral… It's been an honour."

End recording.

**NETCOM reports enemy "Titan" class vessel in Alpha Centauri. Starbase _"California" _reports significant loss of outer-system defences. Enemy fleets numbering in thousands of ships. Enemy intent likely complete system-kill.**

**Task Force Falcon reports loss of two-thirds of overall fleet strength. All heavy fleet elements reported lost with all hands. Captain Naomi Mann-Foster of Frigate UNSA _Unyielding Resolve_ has been granted provisional rank of Admiral. Task Force Falcon is hereby ordered to retreat to orbit of Elysium and hold at all costs.**

**Task Force Warthog is ordered to rendezvous with Federation Fleet "Unity" and Army Group "Battleaxe" in Eta Cassiopeia.**

**Good luck and godspeed. NETCOM out.**

ACCESSING ARCHIVE

PROCESSING…

PROCESSING…

ACCESS GRANTED

QUERY?

-ELYSIUM AFTERMATH-

SEARCHING….

2,397 FILES FOUND; ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS?

-HEARINGS_MANN-FOSTER-

1 FILE FOUND; OPENING FILE…..

TRANSCRIPT OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HEARING #2486

TOPIC: SIEGE OF ELYSIUM TACTICAL FAILINGS

TESTIMONY PROVIDED BY: PROVISIONAL ADMIRAL NAOMI MANN-FOSTER

COMMITTEE CHAIR: THE HONORABLE MARK JOHANNES

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

CHAIRMAN: First of all, I would like to thank Provisional Admiral Mann-Foster for appearing before this committee. We know you are very busy defending your homeworld and we don't want to keep you from your duties any longer than we have to.

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: It is an honor, Chairman.

CHAIRMAN: Now, as you can no doubt personally attest, the Siege of Elysium is without question one of the most costly engagements our military has ever engaged in, with casualties in the millions and an entire battle-group annihilated.

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: That is correct Chairman.

CHAIRMAN: As such, Admiral, many of us here would like to know how our military was so thoroughly routed. In your opinion, how did the system defence strategy go so wrong?

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: Well, Mr. Chairman, I feel that you are approaching the debacle at Elysium from the wrong angle if you think that Admiral Dietrich's strategy failed.

CHAIRMAN: What do you mean by that?

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: Simply put, Chairman, the Admiral's plan worked. His defence rested upon the foundation that the enemy's tactics would be relatively unchanged from previous engagements; with the geckos simply rushing at our defences without any consideration for their own casualties or the acquisition of strategic objectives.

CHAIRMAN: Your defense plan was built around the assumption that the enemy would make a suicidal attack on your fleet?

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: Correct, and they obliged. In that regard the Admiral's plan worked perfectly. For every ship of ours that was destroyed or incapacitated, six of theirs were blown into the void.

CHAIRMAN: So what happened? If the strategy was working why did the line collapse?

PROV. ADMIRAL M-F: The Enemy's Imperator happened. You see, sir, the new Imperator of the Prikki-Ti is not, despite what many would claim, a blood-mad fanatic like previous enemy Imperators before him. He knew that we would be ready to engage a head-on assault, so he obliged us. He sent wave after wave of the most fanatical and untrustworthy elements of his command at us, letting them martyr themselves in glory and sparing him the trouble of purging them himself later on while also wearing us down in the process. Then, once we were truly engaged with his zealots, he sprung the trap.

CHAIRMAN: The trap being?

REAR ADMIRAL M-F: A Titan, sir. And let me assure you, no strategist in their darkest nightmares saw that one coming. You say that the defense plan failed, Chairman, but there was no plan in place for a Titan. That is why the defence failed.

DATA LINK INTERRUPTED

ATTEMPTING TO RECONNECT

FAILED

DATA LOG ENCRYPTED, TYPE-ALPHA KEY. KEY REQUIRED TO ACCESS. INPUT HEXADECIMAL, DECIMAL, OCTAL, OR NOX.

f17398ad

TRANSLATING KEY FROM HEXADECIMAL TO OCTAL…

36134714255

CONVERTING OCTAL KEY TO NOX

T̴̖̗̒r̵͍̼̓̽̽̌à̴̻͔̖͘͝ń̷̦̤̱̆ͅs̵̛̝͖͐̽l̷͙̲͎̂ä̴̼̲̖̑t̴̙̤̗͌̅͜͝ĩ̴̭̥͍̺̓̋̄ǭ̷̣̪̳͐̿̚n̸̙̈́ ̶̡̂e̶̫͓͗͝͝r̷͕͌̆r̶̺̺̣̦̍̐ȯ̶͈̇̕r̵̜͚̜̓̌.̶̞̜͖̮̈́

KEY ACCEPTED. RETRIEVING LOG b1f96d2c

VIDEO FILE DETECTED.

UNEXPECTED ATTACHED DATA ON FILE, PLAYING.

My Brethren! This is the Hateful Starhunter reporting, we have downloaded the requested files and got out of the Abyssal Cluster unharmed and untracked.

Keep that data safe, Telia. Get back as soon as possible. Kal'nox received a vision, she says if the Timeless find out then it will surely mean that not even the Holy Eternal could save us!

Krun-doct, my enlightened friend. I will report to Gift as soon as possible. May the Eternal bless me on my fates journey home.

May the Sanctum guide you home.

I will be there before the Cycle ends, shutting down comms until I return.

END FILE

View is on some sort of space station, high in orbit of an Ecumenopolis. A throne with a human-like seems to be sitting upon it. Some lights are visible across the body, but don't illuminate anything.

They are typing on what seems to be a holographic keyboard, with holographic screens surrounding them.

A light is visible in the room as the sound of a pressurized door opens, the light not reaching the humanoid on the throne, likely from outside of the initial room.

The man upon the throne looks in the direction of the light, and speaks in a hoarse, deep voice. "Clockfrost, I hope that this intrusion is important."

An off-screen Timeless, supposedly Clockfrost speaks. "Voidholder Kaold Abyss, I come with information of a pressing matter. The Prikki-Ti, a primitive empire has recently become capable of producing Titan-class starships, similar to the size of our own Titans, and their technology has reached a point that their starships have superior firepower to ours."

The Voidholder barely shifts in his seat, body language suggesting he isn't very worried. "Scion, what is their strength relative to the Stagnant Ascendancies?"

Clockfrost speaks. "They couldn't even kill an Escort, Voidholder, but that's not what's so worrying. Our primary issue is their technological progress. They're advancing at such a pace that they could outclass even a Cosmic Escort within three millenniums."

The Voidholder seems to not react, at least not externally. "Clockfrost, the upstarts, as the Stagnant call them are known to advance technologically at a rapid pace, but you remember the upstarts of the last Genesis Cycle, yes? They Ascended, fought great wars with each other, and finally broke apart and stagnated, and are now the Stagnant of today. They will fall long before they reach our pinnacle."

Clockfrost does not seem convinced. "But Kaold! This is combined with the presence of the Penthulan, Humans, and the C-" Clockfrost is interrupted.

The Voidholder stands from this throne, still shrouded in shadows, obviously irritated. "Clockfrost. We do not speak of that mistake of a modification here. They no longer exist."

The Voidholder takes a deep breath. "First, the Penthulan, while able to predict future events are across the board mentally unstable. They will probably destroy themselves through some psionic shock eventually, and the Human empires, the ones from Earth and Unity are bound to clash with each other until one of them dies. They'll be preoccupied with each other for long enough that they'll probably Stagnate. Finally, it was destroyed the last time we sent a fleet from our star cluster, one-hundred-fifty thousand cycles ago."

Clockfrost does not get an opportunity as the Voidholder opens his mouth again. "None of them, not a single one has suffered the Age of Darkness. They have always basked in the light of the Stars, and they will always do so until we ascend, and continue our cycle. They will not, for we will reach so far that any attempt to grasp at our eternity will result in their annihilation."

"We will overcome. We've done it once, we will do it again, and for a thousand more times if we have to. Now leave, Scion. I have an immutable empire to tend to."

END OF FILE.


	2. Chapter 2

Query: Alpha Centauri

83,075,427 results foundeete

Accessing database…

…

…

Opening logs…

**05.12.2309**

**NETCOM reports confirmed enemy presence on Elysium. Task Force Falcon reported lost with all hands. Starbase "California" reported lost with all hands. Enemy has begun complete system blackout. ETA to total comm loss 05.20.2309**

**Fleet Group "Solspear" commence operation "Starbreak"**

**Good luck and godspeed. NETCOM out.**

End log.

Accessing personnel logs.

…

Opening log

Personnel log, Provisional Admiral Naomi Mann-Foster

We'd taken a hit somewhere amidships. Knocked out the main reactor and took most of our combat systems offline. The secondary reactor survived, so we still had comms, and enough of our sensor array survived to know that the battle was nearly over.

The wreckage of Task Force Falcon was slowly sinking towards Elysium. The few dozen frigates and corvettes that had survived the battle at the warp point were little more than a debris field of twisted and burning hulks. We'd stood and fought over one of the first colonies Earth had ever founded. We had failed miserably.

I don't know if the admiralty knew that I was from Elysium. I don't think they cared to be honest. Maybe they thought it would give me the fire I needed to hold the geckos back for just a little bit longer. It didn't work. Instead, I presided over the doomed defense of my homeworld.

The geckos didn't care about the doomed remnants of our fleet. I guess they were content to let us watch as they mopped up the last few orbital defenses that had survived the initial attack. The big fucker fired its forward cannons, and I watched as the mountain range that housed Elysium's lunar cannons shattered and crumbled.

They kept firing. The entire goddamn fleet just opened up, pummeling the nascent ship foundries of Elysuim's moon into atoms. Missiles fell on growing cities, rail cannon slugs tore through mining installations, and plasma bombs melted the crust of the moon into a sea of molten rock. We watched nearly five million people die in a sea of fire.

It felt like hours, watching them burn the moon until the atmosphere finally lit and the firestorms swept across the surface. They finally turned, having reduced the moon to a lifeless tomb. We saw the landing craft surge forward as their fleet scoured Elysium's orbit of all military installations. Thousands of shuttles and drop pods screamed through the atmosphere, descending on the three billion innocent civilians that were trapped on the planet below.

The big fucker stopped just a couple hundred clicks from us. Our scopes were still functional, so we decided to get a better look at the beast. Admiral Dietrich had hurt it in his final act. A terrible rent marred her starboard flank, venting plasma and bleeding atmosphere. The broken superstructure of the Valiant was still embedded in the titan's wound, her reactor venting into open space.

Last report was that the Valiant's marines nearly stormed the bridge of that thing. That Admiral Dietrich and his crew almost disabled the vessel before the geckos slaughtered them all. The son of a bitch had balls, I'll give him that.

They began their bombardment of Elysium in high orbit, wiping the few military installations off the map in a matter of hours. Their drop ships and landers screamed towards the cities as attack craft began their runs. We were fighting back, but against the fleet massed in orbit we stood little chance. Flak batteries and air defences fell under the bombardment, disappearing in balls of nuclear fire.

Over the course of the week, we watched the capital city burn until there was nothing left to burn. I prayed that my family had heeded the evacuation order, that they had fled to the countryside or into the Javori Badlands. It's not like it would have mattered anyways.

Fleetgroup "Solspear" hit the system seven days after they began their invasion of Elysium. Most of the major cities were reduced to twisted, burning wastelands of glass. Her capital was a molten sea of rock and metal, the victim of the titan's ire.

They hit the enemy on the morning of the 8th day. Space warped and burned above the planet as humanity and her allies assembled forces slammed against the enemy fleet.

Federation Fleet "Unity" led the charge, along with the pair of Vitrian frigate packs that had been in range to assist. Their energy weapons splashed against the enemy shields, painting the skies above Elysium a vibrant collage. The enemy met the charge with the full force of their fleet, attempting to blunt the tip of the spear with a wall of fire. It worked. Ships died by the dozens, tiny pinpricks of light winking out on the CIC as soon as they closed range with the enemy.

Task Force Warthog joined the battle at a longer range, her "Odin" class battleships opening up with their main cannons. The Odins we're little more than massive gun emplacements with a ship built around it, and more guns strapped to it. They were the most powerful ships humanity had ever constructed.

I watched the Odins hit the big fucker with everything they had. Round after round slammed into nearly impenetrable armour, punching holes in it as if it were paper. The big fucker's guns slowed and fell silent under the assault. It must have lost power or something, because it started dropping towards the husk of Elysium's moon like a dying god. Atmosphere vented from her hull in a thousand places as her aft section snapped off and tumbled through the atmosphere towards the dead planetoid.

We took a stray round at some point. It hit the weapons magazine and ignited an explosion that shattered the corpse of the Resolve even further. We were thrown towards the planet and began to burn atmosphere within minutes.

Thank whatever God exists that UN ships are so goddamn sturdy. Most of the command crew survived, along with whoever wasn't spaced when the magazine blew. Less than a hundred people out of a crew of nine hundred survived the impromptu landing.

We can still see the battle overhead. It's terrifying. I can't tell who's winning. All we can see are the flashes of lights as ships explode in the night sky. I can see more landing craft though, burning through the atmosphere. Can't tell if they're human or not. Our comms died in the crash, so we won't know until they get close enough for the short-range.

The armoury survived the crash. I've ordered the crew to prepare for battle. Already, we've got signs of movement on the horizon. Someone saw us land and they're in a hurry to say hello.

We'll be ready to welcome them to our ship.

End log.

**06.01.2309**

**NETCOM reports hostile contact with enemy fleet. Fleet group "Solspear" reports heavy damage to enemy fleet elements. Enemy fleet withdrawal confirmed through Arcturus hyperlane. Unregistered Titan-Class confirmed scuttled. UNSA engineer corps ordered to strip derelict and relay plans to UN Congressional Security Council. Fleet group "Solspear" reports significant loss of fleet strength. Federation Fleet "Unity" lost with all hands. Task Force "Warthog" reports mass casualties. **

**Army group "Battleaxe" reports significant surface damage. Elysium potentially rendered uninhabitable by enemy bombardment. Army group "Battleaxe" is ordered to commence immediate civilian rescue and evacuation. Enemy ground elements confirmed planetside.**

**Colony Arcadia reports enemy fleet elements transit through Sirius system. **

**Earth Defense Fleet is ordered to Sirius warp point. All civilian elements are immediately grounded. Enemy contact in Sol system imminent.**

**Good luck and godspeed. NETCOM out.**

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+ACCESSING COGITATOR+

+ACCESSING COGITATOR+

-LOADING-

-LOADING-

WELCOME MAGISTER

-QUERY?-

SEARCH ITEM: IMPERIOUS DOCTRINE

-LOADING-

-LOADING-

-ARCHIVE FOUND-

OPEN FILE: 0001

-LOADING FILE-

TRANSCRIPT OF IMPERIAL SCREENING 20346

PETITIONER: STRATEGOS ARRIAN DEVELOK

OVERSEER: EXARCH ULDYR CANTARIOUS, VIZIER TO HER MOST DIVINE MAJESTY

-BEGIN TRANSCRIPT-

EXC: Well, I must say that this is a surprise, Strategos. After your reassignment to the provinces, I thought you would be astute enough to know where you are not welcome.

SAD: I bring news, my lord. Information that could be of great value to the realm and Her Grace.

EXC: Valuable enough to restore you to prominence as well, no doubt.

SAD: My loyalty has been to the realm and our ruler, Exarch! Any benefit to be gained from this data are Her Majesty's, and hers alone.

EXC: Yes, yes, your loyalty is an inspiration to us all. What is this information that you value so highly?

SAD: My lord, Elysium has fallen.

EXC: What?

SAD: It is true, Exarch. The enemy traitor I planted in their command structure sent me the after-action report that confirms it. Preliminary casualty numbers are in the millions, with a considerable portion of the UNE's naval power destroyed.

EXC: What foe brought the alien-lovers to their knees in such a fashion?

SAD: Apparently the gecko-kind's new Imperator somehow managed to acquire a titan-class warship, and used it as a hammer to shatter the UNE's defensive line.

EXC: I must bring this to Her Majesty immediately! This development changes everything; the greatest obstacle to our species's future has finally been dealt with, and by the aliens they were so fond of at that. We must begin planning a new expedition into xeno-space immediately.

SAD: Actually, Exarch, I might of some service in that regard.

-WARNING!-

-FILES CORRUPTED-

-ACCESSING BACKUP-

* * *

**2 - Internal Broadcast: TIMELESS**

**Engaging subroutine… Fetching location.**

**K:\Users\SUPERUSER\primitive_protocols\human_preservation\earth_humans\ **

**Protocol 'Human Preservation: United Nations of Earth' Hostile disarming tactic activated.**

**Engaging FTL communications dish…**

**Hijacking automated starship systems…**

**Disabling Automated Targeting Systems of starship Starhunter-class Titan 'Hateful Ravager'**

**Action success.**

**Deployment of Psionic Disruptor deemed unnecessary.**

**Estimating most likely result of conflict…**

**Printing results!**

**1% Victory: End Threat (Human military almost entirely eliminated, vulnerable to neighbor assaults)**

**96% Status Quo (Heavy Human losses)**

**3% Defeat: Purification (Commonwealth of Man becomes final Primitive Human empire)**

**All conditions within acceptable parameters.**

**Shutting off protocol…**

**KAOLD Mainframe de-activating Species Preservation subroutine. Redirecting processing power granted to Species Preservation to Administration.**

**Note to self: Prepare a Preserve demand for Human empires for Timeless reading.**


End file.
